Characters
How many people of Luke's age supported him on his journey? How many people of Jonah's age supported him?
Luke was supported by Mark, Trey, Nina, Smithfield, and Jen, so 5 people. Jonah was only supported by Katherine, Chip, and Andrea, so 3 people. Altogether, Jonah did a larger share of the overall work.
How does the role of the governing body differ between Shadow Children and The Missing?
In Shadow Children, the governing body is the main antagonist; oppressing Luke, Nina, and Trey. In The Missing, it is neutral; it plays little to no part in the overall story. It mainly sits there with its arms folded. The law enforcement is done by JB and the projectionists.
How was the plot ending in Shadow Children different from that in Double Identity in terms of plot twists?
The plot twist with Oscar really improved the ending, but Double Identity had no twists at the end.
What is the similarity in the messages in Shadow Children and Double Identity in terms of people?
Shadow Children and Double Identity both convey to the reader that mitigating betrayal is important.
Jen helped Luke _______ with his situation. Who helped Jonah in that way?
cope. Katherine helped Jonah cope.
How are Jonah and Bethany's relationships to their families different?
Jonah is not a biological descendant of his parents in any way; he is adopted. Bethany is a clone of a biological descendent, Elizabeth.
How do Shadow Children and Double Identity differ in terms of teamwork?
Shadow Children has a theme of collaboration, between Luke, Jen, Trey, and Nina, but Double Identity focuses on individual effort.
How does the plot ending between Shadow Children and Double Identity differ in terms of the highlighted character?
Shadow Children ends with the protagonist, Luke, whereas Double Identity ends with the antagonist, Dalton Van Dyne.
What does The Missing say about the ability of time travel to fix mistakes? How does this compare with Shadow Children's message of collaboration fixing mistakes?
The message in The Missing about time travel is that time travel cannot fix mistakes. When Jonah and Katherine attempt to correct history, they face Second, who messes time up. In contrast, in Shadow Children, collaboration is the backbone of their effort; it can fix the mistakes of the Population Police and Jen's failure. Time travel is not a viable solution, but collaborating with other people can fix the mistakes, but in the present, and prevent future mistakes from occuring.
What is the literary device used between Luke, Jen, and Trey. Who is that litererary device used with for Jonah?
The literary device used between Luke, Jen, and Trey is juxtaposition. Jen had more freedom than Luke, and Trey was in a worse condition than Luke. For Jonah, Katherine was not adopted, so she was in a better position, but Chip was in a worse condition.
Does Luke defy gender stereotypes and how? Does Katherine do that? Which person has their gender stereotype defiance displayed better?
All 3 works have themes of rebellion. Luke rebels against the Population Police and Jonah battles Gary and Hodge. What does Bethany rebel against? How is it different from the other 2 works?
Bethany rebels against secrecy and misinformation. She also conquers the alienation she feels in her mind. Unlike in the other 2 works, Bethany's struggle is a mental and familial struggle, rather than being caused by bad people or societies.
The Missing and Double Identity both start with an intense event. Which event do you believe hooks the reader better and why?
I believe that The Missing hooks the reader better. In The Missing, it starts with Angela DuPre seeing the Tachyon Travels' airplane with the babies. Double Identity starts with Bethany being on a car with her parents crying. The Missing has a better hook because it has context along with the mystery. It gives information about Angela's position on the airlines, along with when it occured. Bethany's parents crying has little to no context, so the information to mystery ratio is too low for me. That's why I believe The Missing hooks the reader better.
The Missing and Shadow Children talk about the disproportionate impact people's greed takes on others. Which one is more effective?
I believe The Missing is more effective at highlighting the impact of people's greed. The Missing uses subplots six times to convey this message; it uses repetition to be more impactful. In contrast, Shadow Children only mentions greed in Among the Hidden, Among the Enemy, and Among the Free.
Luke's mom mentions his birth is an 'accident'. Similarly, Bethany's parents mention that the birth certificates were 'mistakes'. What might be the truths behind these statements?
I believe Luke's birth wasn't an 'accident', Luke's mom wanted to have a third child despite the law. She mentioned that she hoped the government would remove the law, but they didn't. Another possibility could be government forcing Luke's parents to adopt Luke. This is unlikely, but it was mentioned that the government after implementing the policy began liking to shoot third children.
The truth behind Bethany's parents claiming the birth cirtificates were fakes was that they were intentional. The cloned embryos were given to four surrogate mothers, with one forged certificate for each. In total, both false statements claim intentional actions as unintentional. This shows the importance of digging deeper when actions are claimed as out of someone's control, especially if it seems as if they had an impact on it.
Compare and contrast Mark's influence on Luke with Katherine's influence on Jonah. Which connection do you feel is more realistic?
There are several similarities. Firstly, they both were ready to help their siblings. Katherine went into the time hollow with Jonah, and Mark was ready to help save Luke. Another similarity is how they both feel a strong sense of family. Luke, despite being illegal, is accepted by Mark as part of the family. Similarly, Katherine is supportive of Jonah's role in the family, despite him being adopted. This makes Luke and Jonah happier and feel supported.
There are also several differences. One difference is how Mark teases Luke, but Katherine doesn't. Mark pretended to be the Population Police and whined about Luke's bread. Katherine doesn't tease Jonah. This makes Luke feel scared and sad at times at his house, but to be fair, Luke freeloads the whole time as he can't be seen. Secondly, Mark acts as somewhat of a role model to Luke, but Katherine doesn't. Mark challenges Luke about several things he says, and trains him for the challenges on his journey.
Altogether, I feel that the connection between Mark and Luke is far more realistic. Katherine rarely voices any opposition or counter-arguments to Jonah. Mark also teases Luke, but shows his jealousy of Luke getting the whole attic and not having to do homework. Mark being somewhat mean, envious, and in competition with Luke makes it seem realistic. I've heard people's siblings often annoy people and compete with them, so it makes it seem realistic. That is why I feel Luke and Mark's connection is more realistic.
Between Shadow Children and The Missing, which do you believe demonstrates the theme of rebellion better?
I believe they both show rebellion equally, but each show individual parts better. Chronologically, rebellion consists of an injustice, a buildup, a downfall, and a reconstruction.
Shadow Children showed the injustice and the reconstruction better than The Missing. Firstly, the first book focused on the dangers and fear that their children had, and this was reinforced in later books. As for the reconstruction, there was an extremely effective plot twist, when just when the reader believed all was good, Oscar temporarily came into power.
However, The Missing better demonstrates the downfall as compared to Shadow Children. The series goes in great detail as to the capture of Gary and Hodge, and how Second was stopped by saving and befriending Kevin. In contrast, Shadow Children gives no information as to the rebellion of the villages against the Population Police. When Luke arrives at the Population Police, the people have already overthrown the Population Police. This was extremely surprising; I anticipated the rebellion, but the story let me down.
Altogether, I believe both demonstrate the theme equally, but Shadow Children was better at the injustice and rebuilding, whereas The Missing had an excellent downfall.
Which plot ending between Shadow Children and Double Identity do you prefer more?
I prefer the plot ending in Double Identity more. Shadow Children ends rather unrealistically, where the people are rewriting the constitution and laws. The original constitution of the US valued freedom, but there were laws against it. Therefore, as far as the reader can tell, they should have left the constitution alone. Similarly, overhauling laws on the spot is incorrect; debates are needed to view the opinions of different groups. Therefore, the ending of Shadow Children is unrealistic. In contrast, Double Identity ends with Dalton Van Dyne repenting his mistake and receiving his misused money. This is more realistic, as Dalton must have felt that he wronged Bethany by cloning someone else. Due to this, I prefer Double Identity's ending.
What does Double Identity's message about the rights of clones and the responsibility of the goverment? How is this different from the responsibility of the government during child limiting policies in Shadow Children?
The message of Double Identity about the rights of clones and the government's responsibility is that clones shouldn't exist, and that governments should keep better track of money. It was through misappropriation of funds that Elizabeth could be cloned, and the government allowing the clone to occur. This differs from Shadow Children, where it's in the government's best interest to harm child limiting policies. The idea here is that governments, when implementing child limiting policies, should put their main focus on prevention of extra children, and should allow the extra children their rights. Resorting to murdering third child should only be done if there is imminent danger due to population growth. Ideally, said policy shouldn't be necessary; alternative measures such as reduced benefits for extra children should be used. Altogether, in Double Identity, the government failed to act, but in Shadow Children, the government acted when it shouldn't have.
In Double Identity, the government is not present, but in Shadow Children, it's the antagonist. How could Double Identity add the government as a protagonist or antagonist? Use their other works as inspiration.
Double Identity could add the government as an antagonist by denying clones' rights. Dalton Van Dyne and Bethany's father could be part of a government cloning office. Bethany's father was, in fact, a doctor capable of cloning people. When Bethany grew up and saw the four birth certificates, she could have tried to take it to a handwriting analyst, which was her idea in her original story. When she does so, the analyst is informed that explaining the certificates would reveal that she's a clone. Therefore, the government forbade it. The same went for Bethany's father, they were all sworn to silence. However, Van Dyne realizes Bethany's father misappropriated his money; cloning Elizabeth instead of him. This forces him to reveal to Bethany that she's a clone.
How effectively did the author write the development of Luke versus Jonah? How could each be improved?
The character development of Luke was extremely well done throughout the work. Firstly, Luke began as a scared kid who took no risks. He never attempted to push the limits set on him by the Population Police. He slowly became braver and more confident. He ran to Jen's house, left the school, infiltrated the Population Police, and then stood in front of several guns. He took one great leap with little confidence, followed by smaller acts with increasing confidence, leading to a giant, confident risk. This is similar to how I learned how to dive; I stepped out of my comfort zone and did it, then slowly built my confidence in doing it. This is exactly how people in real life learn to take risks. Also, the variety of settings Luke encountered strengthened him, which highlights a principle of learning to take calculated risks; it is a transferable skill. However, this could be improved by adding a mental component to his development. The stress he felt and the way he overcame it wasn't well portrayed; adding it would add that facet to his development.
I believe the development of Jonah was acceptable, but not as nuanced as Luke. Jonah started out like an average person, but his inquisitive nature was revealed when he believed the letters. He became smarter and more willing to take risks as he went on adventure to save the other children. The primary issue with his development is that the crux of his development is shown late; being caring. He let Jordan, a complete stranger to him, be his brother, along with Second's younger version, Kevin. Here, Haddix could improve Jonah's development by foreshadowing Jonah being caring earlier on in the series. In addition, several books were about Jonah's adventures; each book could highlight a new facet of Jonah's self-improvement. For instance, highlighting his improvements in persuasion would be useful during his adventures to England and the Einstein family.
Compare and contrast being adopted and being cloned based on the experiences of Jonah and Bethany. Issues with the welfare of adopted children and cloned children are current or upcoming issues. Which one do you feel should be addressed first and why?
There are several similarities with the two. One similarity is the pressing questions in their minds and feelings of alienation from their family. Bethany had so many questions for her parents and aunt when she travelled to her aunt's house. For Jonah, he felt out of place in his family and didn't know his roots. Another similarity is the severing of trust between them and their parents. Both foster parents and parents of cloned children want the children to feel like their biological children so they feel included, but the kid often gets angry at their parents for hiding the information.
There are also several differences between the two. Firstly, adopted children feel as if they have free will, but cloned children don't. Jonah never felt like his actions were controlled. Bethany, on the other hand, felt her actions were predetermined. Despite not liking gymnastics the amount Elizabeth did, Bethany's parents still wanted her to follow Elizabeth's footsteps. Secondly, adopted children have less information about their past. Clones can easily be found nowadays with DNA tests by finding a match in the DNA sequence. Being cloned also removes the thought that one might have been abandoned. It came as a shock to Jonah when he realized that he was abandoned by his parents and used as a spare. It hurt his ego significantly. It internalizes one's faults, rather than externalizing them in the case of cloning.
I believe cloning should be addressed first. Humans have access to the human genome. We've already cloned animals and unlocked the genome; cloning isn't far off. Cloning is a more significant issue as it takes away uniqueness. Some of their natural uniqueness is gone as their DNA is a copy. Altogether, I believe cloning should be banned and addressed first.
How do the use of subplots differ in The Missing series and Shadow Children? Which use do you feel is better?
In The Missing, subplots are extensively used when Jonah and Katherine rescue the other children. They are used as chronological steps in the overall story. In contrast, in Shadow Children, subplots were used to create an omniscient perspective for the readers of the experiences of different characters. This allows the big picture to be constructed at the very end. These subplots often occur at similar times; Nina escaping from prison, Trey finding Mr. Talbot, and Luke finding out about Smithfield and Oscar occur around the same time. This, in my opinion, is a much better use of subplots as it provides better context, allows the reader to be in more people's shoes, and highlights the small efforts that often ignored during the whole adventure. This is similar to the use of subplots in The Tempest, where the Stephano, Alonso, and Prospero groups develop, bringing all the viewpoints and information in for the culmination in Act 5.
Shadow Children and The Missing both convey the message that bravery is the only way to achieve positive change and that risk-taking is essential. Which work illustrates both sides of that message the best?
I believe Shadow Children shows both facets of risk-taking more effectively. The two facets are the dangers of uncalculated risk, and the decisive power of calculated risk. Firstly, in the very first book of Shadow Children, Jen takes a big risk and leads a rally against the law against third children, but dies in the attempt. The key factor leading to its demise is how only a few hundred third children came, rather than the thousands she had organized. Also, she was confident in her hacking skills, such that she gave all the police officers a day off on the day of teh rally. This illustrates the importance of calculating risk, and shows a crucial dilemma. When lead a rally like that, one's willingness to participate is dependent on the willingness of others, so if they fear not enough will come, a chain reaction starts, rapidly reducing the rally down to the bravest participants. In contrast, The Missing has no such scenario where the importance of calculating risk is shown.
As for calculated risk, both books do a similarly good job at illustrating its need. Luke had to run to Jen's house, sneak out of the school, infiltrate the Population Police as a third child, and stand in front of several guns to achieve his goal. However, he knew every single time that it was reasonable; he ensured everyone in the neighborhood had left before running to Jen's house. Jonah travelled to several unknown times to rescue the children, but he always had a plan and the Elucidator as redundancy. Altogether, Shadow Children shows both facets the best.
What are the contradictions between the themes of Shadow Children, The Missing, and Double Identity? Which work speaks to you the most and why?
The primary contradiction between the themes of the three works is the perspective on collaboration. Shadow Children and The Missing both highlight the positives of collaboration. Shadow Children shows how imperative collaboration is to coordinate rescues and gain the power to cause change. The Missing is similar; the collaboration between Jonah, Chip, Katherine and Jordan was necessary to stop Second, Gary, and Hodge. In contrast, Double Identity showed how agreements can be broken and misused, such as when Bethany's father used Van Dyne's money to clone Elizabeth, and how one person's quiet actions can lead to change. However, I believe this difference is justified as those were two types of problems. Shadow Children and The Missing address societal problems, whereas Double Identity address familial problems. Altogether, this tells the message that collaboration is necessary to solve problems; individual efforts only function at smaller scales and will almost always have lesser impact than a group.
The work that speaks to me the most is Shadow Children. The reason it speaks to me so much is how intriguing it is, how it balances mystery and information expertly, and how I can feel in the story. Firstly, the story is extremely intriguing and logical. Unlike The Missing, it is easier to see how different subplots and events tie in to each other; time doesn't jump around as much. Secondly, it gives just the correct amount of information at each time. Double Identity withholds a large amount of information at the start; Shadow Children and The Missing keep a good balance of mystery to information. The final thing setting Shadow Children apart is how easy it is to be immersed in the story. Descriptive words are heavily used; I can clearly picture every single scene. This is not present as much in The Missing. That's why Shadow Children speaks to me the most.